Known as a high-end watch and jewellery brand with a penchant for
understated yet exclusive elegance, Piaget has been at the forefront of
the move towards smaller, thinner watch cases over recent years. At
the Salon Internationale de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva this year,
the company’s suave CEO Philippe Léopold-Metzger told Wanted with
a wry smile that ”Piaget has been out of favour for the past 20 years”
while the world became obsessed with larger, chunkier watch cases.
“Now, all of a sudden, we are back in fashion.”
With 98% of Piaget products made from gold and Chinese
consumers’ well-known penchant for smaller, thinner watches, Piaget
has boldly maintained its premium positioning throughout the global
economic crisis. If its newly launched Altiplano Skeleton Ultra-Thin
watch is anything to go by, it is optimistic about the future too.
Boasting two records as the world’s thinnest self-winding skeleton
model at just 5.34mm, it also houses the world’s thinnest self-winding
skeleton movement at 2.4mm. Léopold-Metzger believes the watch
industry today is saturated with marketing messages that often
mislead a consumer into believing that a particular product
represents a certain level of craftsmanship, while the reality is often
very different. “We have been making luxury watches since 1874 so
we don’t have to shout any more. My ultimate dream would be for
every potential client to visit our manufacture in Switzerland. People
simply cannot believe that so much time and energy goes into making
one product. They are mystified.”
Until he finds a way to make that happen though, there is this
skeleton version of Piaget’s iconic Altiplano, guaranteed to produce a
similar reaction by revealing all of its complex inner workings.
Having crammed so much watch into a limited amount of space,
the round, 18ct white gold case and centrally mounted black
dauphine hands help wearers get their bearings each time they look
down at their wrists. Being a skeletonised model, there is no dial as
such, just the watch’s exposed mechanics, resulting in a visual
cacophony of satin-brushed plates, bridges, wheels and screws.
A black platinum micro-rotor at 9 o’clock, engraved with the
Piaget word mark on the front and the company coat of arms on the
reverse, serves as one of the more easily recognisable moving parts.
That rotating plate then produces a 44-hour power reserve, no easy
achievement given the record-breaking dimensions of this timepiece.

Quintessential British men’s outfitter, Hackett London,
recently launched its flagship store in Sandton City’s new
mall space making it the second of two stores in SA, after
its OR Tambo International Airport branch.
The store concept takes inspiration from the famous
and typically British exterior of 10 Downing Street,
creating a residential London townhouse feel through the
use of wooden panelling and black bricks which was
inspired by the British Georgian period, particularly the
style of architect Sir John Soane whose classic aesthetic
reflects Hackett’s very essence.
The brand’s co-founder Jeremy Hackett describes the
ethos as “evolutionary rather than revolutionary”. “With
everything we do we think, is this Hackett, because we
have a strong point of view. We express our British values
by using exclusive materials from the best mills around the
world and designing our own patterns for every piece.”
This attention to detail has been cultivated since 1979
when the brand started as a supplier of vintage traditional
heritage clothing and then expanded to ready-to-wear,
always maintaining its traditional bearings. You can still
find pieces in the range that have been produced by the
brand for the past 20 years, but its true success is in
reinterpreting this feel for the modern man. “Our clothes
wear in, not out,” adds Hackett when describing the
quality and versatility of the brand, which encompasses
any occasion whether for business, formal, country or
sporting outings.
With 37 stand-alone stores and 44 concessions
worldwide, the brand’s international expansion continues
to thrive. It was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise
in International Trade earlier this year as a result of
continuous growth in export sales and overall
performance. This has been boosted by markets such as
ours which contributed to a growth in export sales of
1 500%, along with 200% growth in turnover from 2008.
A profound history is evidently the basis of a dynamic
future, which Joburg shoppers will now be able to enjoy.

Hackett, Shop UL313, Sandton City, 011 784 0342

57 JUNE 2012

WANTED

Q&A WITH JEREMY
HACKETT
What is the ideal behind the Hackett brand? Our
objective is to offer our customers the best in
classically inspired clothes with a traditional but
modern touch. We draw inspiration from the rich
seam of British heritage. Describe the Hackett
man? The Hackett man is one who appreciates
style above the vagaries of high fashion. How do
you translate this to the local market? The local
market has been incredibly receptive to Hackett
and our unique take on British style. Our ranges
are pretty much the same internationally. We
offer such a tremendous choice that it can often
be tailored for each market, dependent on
climate. Hackett started out sourcing traditional
second-hand clothing. How have you continued
to translate these elements to the ready-to-wear
brand? We constantly strive to maintain our
quality as it is something that both our clients and
our chief critics value. We make a concerted
effort to acquire the best raw materials and
source expert tailors. Above all we strive to
maintain the best value for money. How does
Hackett cultivate its other affiliations, most
notably with Aston Martin and in sporting
culture? We have a number of affiliations and
Aston Martin happens to be the most famous
one. It makes perfect sense as our brand is also a
British icon. Being involved in sports such as
polo, rowing and tennis allows us to build
product around these sports with authenticity
and integrity. South Africans will no doubt
remember that we sponsored the rugby player
Jonny Wilkinson for a number of years. It was a
great success as having him as the face of Hackett
brought a tremendous amount of credibility to
our brand. Who are some of the high profile
individuals who wear Hackett? Perhaps our
highest profile individuals are Prince William and
Prince Harry who have both played for the British
Army Polo team (which Hackett sponsors). I
don’t think we could ask for a better
endorsement as a British brand.